in the beginning.
Visions.
Contact: uranusu at gmail dot com.
Like an arrow, the canary yellow convertible shot through the night, its sound that of a panther's growl. The driver should have been, by all means, diagnosed as mentally unstable simply by the speeds the car was achieving at his hand. Upon first glance one might have thought him a he, but then again, that sort of thing always happened. Within a split second her hand reached up to nudge the sunglasses over her whipping hair, resting them atop her head, as would a royal crown. Her placid look was rather odd in accordance with the sort of danger she seemed to place herself in every day.
"Milady, you really mustn't continue to ruin your robes as you do. It isn't Ladylike, nor is it befitting the sovereign of Uranus!"
The teenaged girl crossed her arms and huffed, eyes closed in irritation. "Madame Gaea, I think I'd rather go about splashing in the murky dirt than would I listen to your chastising! I am no longer an infant!"
The one named Madame Gaea frowned, a look of sadness welling up in her eyes. With a sigh, she turned her head away from the dirtied young Princess and she made her way to the grand white marble entrance. "All right, have it as you will. Your mother would be ashamed of you at this moment." With her soft declaration the marble doors were slammed together, their weight setting into the navy blue marble floor.
A screeching of tires rang through the night sky, the stars seemingly shattering from the rude sound. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, mind racing. What had that scene just been? The teenaged girl looked dreadfully familiar…a gasp was captured by the wind and held, air suddenly swelling her lungs.
— † —
"Shimatta!" The curse was barely heard as the rubber of the car's tires continued to burn, its sleek body zigzagging along the once-quiet road by the sea. When the engine was finally granted its peace with the ignition being cut, a final rumble ran up from beneath her to the very tips of her hair. Her hands rested upon the wheel, fingers ever so discreetly running over the leather as she sat in thought. Could that have been caused by my earlier henshin? I was flooded with images—memories—then, as well, but this feels different. It feels as though I'm right there. With a shake of her head at her own foolish thoughts, she got out of the car to check the tires, anger written across her features at what she knew she would find.
— † —
The softness of the mattress was surprising, as Haruka didn't seem the type to indulge in such luxuries. A soft smile found its way to her lips as she inhaled the overall scent of the bedroom. Cool and fresh, just like Haruka herself. Her laugh was quick and biting as it rang out into the darkness of the room. Of course her bedroom would smell like her! A few deep breaths would be taken into her lungs before she rested back against the equally soft pillows, wondering at the large mattress as well. I doubt she has many…friends…over. I wonder if she has nightmares as interactive as mine have been—she stood up abruptly as the waves began to stir in her heart. She was getting mixed emotions from the sea, as though there was no imminent danger, but a possible threat lay before Haruka's path. Oh, if only she'd asked where Haruka was going!
Quickly she got off the mattress and went into the bathroom—which was attached to the bedroom and was unbelievably spacious—to cool her face off. Her cheeks had begun to flush when she started to think more about Haruka, but in this sense it was a flush of worry and anxiety. They'd finally been allowed to meet and now something was going on and she hadn't the faintest clue where to go to help out! Her head was held down for a few silent moments as she tried to concentrate more on the rushing waves and what they were trying to convey.
A loud jangling of what sounded like keys caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she whipped herself around only to find Haruka framed in the bathroom's entrance, head bowed and clothing smeared with grease. They stood like that for an agonizingly long time before Haruka let out a sigh. Her voice was soft as she spoke, "I had a vision while I was driving. The tires burned out and I had to change them at a gas station a few miles away." Simple and exact. She offered nothing more as she turned around and headed for the wooden chair in the corner of her bedroom, her hands already reaching for the greasy white shirt she wore.
Michiru turned away as Haruka undressed, the flush returning to her cheeks. She called out with a meek voice, "Ara, I think I've overstayed my welcome. Maybe I should just…" She trailed off as she heard the gentle laughter behind her, the huskiness of the voice invoking miniscule chills up her spine. Her body turned to face Haruka, her own face slowly following as the flush only grew in its intensity. What she saw before her made her gasp.
Golden light was clouding her vision so much that she had to squint to see its source. The figure before her looked very much like Haruka, and her shine was brilliant, but something about her was oddly surreal, too ethereal to have been standing in a bathroom-bedroom attachment of a modern Japanese apartment.
She found that she was rooted to the spot when she attempted to put her hand out, just to make sure her eyes weren't sending her brain false images. Her voice was trapped within her throat just as she was going to enquire as to the bright light and the oddity of the situation. Then it finally hit her. Questioning blue eyes widened considerably when she noted the form of her partner before her: she was as nude as a newborn, but the deep gold emanating from her very soul, it seemed, granted her dignity by showing her off as a silhouette. Her arms were crossed before her chest, legs also crossed at the ankles, and she seemed to be hovering in mid-air. In her left hand was a katana of sorts, pointed to the heavens, the details far too illuminated by the golden light to be seen clearly. A long, tapered rapier was in her right, pointing to the floor. Her eyes were closed, a look of contentment adorning her features.
Michiru's eyes were tearing up considerably so she finally managed to blink against the light. When her eyes were opened, the previous image was gone, and there stood Haruka, small white towel wrapped around her neck, and wearing only a larger navy blue towel, offering her a concerned look. She stepped forward when Michiru's balance failed her, arms reaching out to catch the aqua haired beauty before she fell.
"Michiru, what happened to you just now? You looked like you were staring at a ghost..." Her voice was soft and low, worry laced within each word. She was kneeling on the bathroom's blue tiled floor, holding Michiru's head to her chest while the lower half of her partner's body was laid out against the cool tiles.
"Ara...I think—no, I know—I saw you just now, naked and glowing the most brilliant shade of gold I have ever seen..." Blue eyes closed to envision the image again, a smile gracing her lips. Her hands reached around Haruka's waist and her legs curled inward, trapping her towel-clad partner in a gentle embrace. Michiru's voice was soft as she whispered, "Haruka, you're so warm..."
Haruka sighed before bringing her head down to kiss the top of Michiru's own turquoise head. The faint scent of the sea in her wavy hair caused her to smile before she nudged Michiru. "Perhaps you should lie down again while I wash up, ne? I don't want you acquiring my current greasy odor anytime soon."
At that Michiru looked up and laughed, regretfully pulling away from the warmth to stand, offering Haruka a hand up. Her hand was taken firmly and used for leverage as Haruka stood. Just before she'd straightened herself, however, the already loosened towel came undone, falling down around her feet. Michiru emitted a tiny gasp before turning her reddening face away, although she had already seen quite a bit of the slender racer before her. Her hand pulled away from Haruka's to cover her mouth before the giggles could make their way out.
Haruka raised her eyebrows before also laughing, not making a move to pick up the towel. Instead, she reached behind Michiru to the shower's handles and turned the hot up to its maximum. The entire bathroom began to steam up with the quickly heating water and Michiru nearly ran out, not looking back as she closed the door and leaned against it, her breathing quickened.